A New Generation, Ep I: Liberation
by Palaras Andhek
Summary: Seventeen years post FotJ, there is disquiet in the galaxy as the Empire begins development on a secret weapon that could destroy the Jedi order. Jaina Solo's daughter, Jessa Fel, is sent on a mission to unravel the Empire's secrecy. Slight AU. Some OC's.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Jaina and Jag are married, and have three children - Jessa (17yrs.), Brant (15yrs.), and Marek (14yrs.). Jaina has been promoted to the rank of Jedi Master, Jessa is a Jedi Knight, and Brant is a Padawan. Though force sensitive, Marek has not begun training as a Jedi, for he generally chooses to close himself off from the force. Jag is still head of state of the Remnant. Talia Vasch is another OC - the Galactic Empress.

**Dislcaimer: **I do not own Star Wars, but I do own all the original characters in this piece.

* * *

**Chapter One**

Jessa's teeth clattered together in her mouth with each brief, jolting collision between her feet and the stone walkway. Her body clung furtively to the darkness, illuminated only vaguely by what small traces of moonlight broke through the clouds, as well as the penetrating yellow glow of her lightsaber. She had been running along this Coruscanti landscape for well over an hour, at times in chase and in others retreat. Still, her breath remained even and deep, and her forehead resisted the light sheen of sweat willing to break against it. Once again, she had assumed the upper hand in this particular game of cat and mouse.

Momentarily, from her peripheral, she saw a concise flash of blue light flitter across the other side of the temple. Her grip tensed around the hilt of her saber, and she narrowed her mind into a deep focus. She could feel her prey now, sense the presence she knew he'd been concealing in the force. In that brief moment he allowed Jessa to spy his lightsaber, he'd known he'd made a mistake. In his mind, he'd acknowledged his mistake, just for a second. And in that second, her keen sense of awareness detected his presence, and like the tracking computer of a starfighter, targeted him immediately.

"_I've got you,"_ she said, transmitting the message directly into his mind. As she'd expected, he'd offered no snide defensive remark in return. Finally revealing a slight, crooked grin, she leapt into the air with an augmented sense of energy possessed only by Jedi and the most adept of fighters. Making no attempt at retreat, he threw himself directly into the path of her landing. She extended a boot towards his chest, and drew back her lightsaber, knowing she'd not make contact with him.

As Jessa predicted, the young, dark-haired Jedi raised a hand swiftly in her direction, and sent her reeling back with a powerful force push. For a moment, she was taken off guard by the strength he'd exerted upon her. Nonetheless, it only took her a moment to tuck her knees into a quick flip and regain perfect composure. She landed on her haunches as he sprang towards her, this time ready to make contact with his saber.

As he landed, she drew out her leg and spun rapidly in a flourishing kick that he easily deflected with a short leap. He threw his arms over his head, bringing down his lightsaber with what Jessa considered incredible precision. Tumbling back off her haunches, she missed his saber with room to spare, and erected herself immediately as he came at her with another lightsaber blow.

Finally, their sabers crossed in a hot, plasmic clash. As they stood in that powerful stalemate, Jessa looked up into the young man's piercing emerald eyes and smiled. Behind them lie a fervor of intensity, excitement, and… _ahh. Frustration._ She sensed only an intimation of the emotion, but that was enough for her. That frustration would be her point of attack. It would be her victory.

In a battle of pure strength, her opponent could surely defeat her. But in a battle of force power, of emotion, she knew she would win.

Sweeping her blade out from under his, she spun her body into two different attacks. One was relatively weak, the other relatively strong. Coming at him from two angles – a lightsaber driving towards his torso from her left side, and a force-augmented elbow careening towards his face from her right – he would be distracted in his deflection. He parried her saber and ducked out from under her elbow. Zoning in on his emotions, she felt a sudden spike in the hint of frustration she'd sensed before. _Good_, she thought. As he ducked out from under her elbow, just as she'd anticipated, she struck him in the gut with the hardest fist she could muster.

The young man grunted, and Jessa raised her lightsaber above her head, as if to land her final blow, something she had no intention of doing. Her hope was that, as he'd trained, he'd spiral back from her in a defensive move, leaving him vulnerable for just the second she needed to finish this.

Affirming her hope and suspicion, he curled into a hasty back flip, catching his boot harshly under her chin as he did. By all means, she could have out maneuvered this attack and averted it with some ease. A more focused Jedi would've noticed this fact, but not him. Finally, she had her chance.

In recent years, specifically in the recent and final months of training under the tutelage of Master Kyp Durron, as well as hours spent in the Jedi Archives, Jessa had studied Mind Affect extensively. From a young age, she had been naturally adept in altering tricks of the mind, and now, after her promotion to Jedi knight, had conceded to perfect as many of these skills as she could. After studying the Jedi archives' holocrons and stacks at length, Jessa had begun to delve into particular force powers such as projection, and even a vague and fleeting variation of the doppelganger technique. As far as she knew, her opponent was mostly unaware of this, if not completely.

Focusing her energy, she projected a brief doppelganger approximately a foot behind the spot where the young man landed. She extended herself through the doppelganger, and gave him a moderate force shove that momentarily shook him off balance. Seizing the moment, Jessa dashed forward, lightsaber outstretched. Placing a hand on his shoulder for precise balance, she speared the lightsaber towards his stomach, halting it abruptly, not even an inch from his flesh. His body tensed, and he stood stock still, feeling the heat that emanated from the blade of her saber. When he looked down, Jessa's eyes smoldered as a delighted grin crawled across her face.

"Well, little brother. It looks like I've won. You're dead." It took a moment for the young Jedi to register what had happened. However, when he finally did, the aggravation overtook him.

"Are you telling me I just chased you around the academy for over an hour so you could _cheat_?"

"What are talking about? What I did is not cheating."

"What the kriff was that? Some sort of projection? I didn't even know you could _do_ that, Jess," he said, clearly frustrated by his loss. Suddenly, she wiped the smile from her face, and took up a stern look.

"You won't always be so lucky to face an opponent as easily anticipated as me, Brant. In true combat, the bad guys will surprise you constantly."

"I know that," he said indignantly.

"Then I don't see why you're so annoyed." She ruffled her brother's dark hair, trying to lighten the mood. Ironically, she had to reach up just to do so. Two years her junior, and already Brant had exceeded her in height. "Aside from the fact that you should be _expecting_ the unexpected, you know me well enough that you should be able to sense when I'm about to trick you."

"Don't give me that."

"No, it's true. You didn't anticipate the projection because your focus was on _your_ attack rather than mine."

"Whatever," he said, retracting his blade with that familiar snap-hiss. As he clipped the hilt to his belt, he looked to the ground, still mulling over his annoyance. He was exceptionally strong for a fifteen year old boy, Jedi or not. The power he possessed in battle was remarkable, shocking even for Jessa, who knew his combat style better than any other. Still, he was an aggressive fighter, often more focused on attack than defense. She worried for him at times, naturally as any sister would. He was a purely good young man, but he tended to lose awareness of the force in combat. That had been his downfall just now.

Jessa frowned for a moment, until finally; Brant looked up at her with a sly grin, so reminiscent of their father, Jag. "Well, I guess since I'm dead and all, on your account, the least you could do is… I don't know. Buy me a burger or something?" The young woman laughed, cocking a famous, lopsided grin at her brother.

"Sure. But the least _you_ could do, since you lost and all, is, uh, I don't know. Buy me dessert."

Huffing once again, Brant muttered, "I just can't win with you at all, can I?"

"Never."

* * *

Jessa finished reading the datapad through a second time, and placed it back on the desk before her. Sighing, she ran a hand through her dark brown hair, and contemplated the implications of what she'd just read.

In the months previous, perhaps even _years_ for all Jessa knew, there had been a great deal of disquiet among the Borderland Regions of the galaxy, which had, following its involvement in the Galactic Civil War, assumed a ten year period of peace and neutrality. Some five years ago, however, the Empire seized control of certain portions of Trans-Hydian space for personal use. To the dismay and reluctant resignation of the GA, the Empire constructed a new military base on the mining planet Elom.

News of the military base came as a surprise to Borderland civilians; however, the Empire surge was originally accepted. Members of the Alliance were also surprised, more so by the seemingly arbitrary location of the new Imperial base, rather than the base itself.

In the first year that the Imperial Army settled on Elom, they maintained peace with the locals, and remained uninvolved in the native mining practices. However, the Empire soon began to impose on the Trans-Hydian people further. Their first act of real intrusion began when the Imperials claimed that, for security reasons, it was of the utmost importance that the Empire seek partial control over Borderland trade routes, primarily the Perlemian trade route.

Out of what was considered strict "obligation" to the Empire, partial control of trade routes was surrendered shortly thereafter. This forfeit came to the outrage of many civilians and officials in Trans-Hydian space. Still, knowing what disruptions they were causing, the Empire intruded further when they revealed they'd be employing use of the Abregado system. Seizing portions of the five planets in the system, the Imperial Army would be constructing facilities where they could develop advanced weaponry and defense capabilities for the Empire.

The Galactic Alliance agreed that they felt this invasion of Trans-Hydian space was both unwarranted and without provocation. Borderland natives felt exploited, and the GA felt purposely excluded from Empire affairs.

A Galactic Summit was called, in which the Alliance inquired as to what cause the Empire had for developing new weaponry.

"_Why is it that now,"_ Chief of State Daala asked, _"seemingly unprovoked, you find the development of new weaponry and defense tactics so pressing? To the rest of the government, it appears as though you are preparing for a war. Yet it is a war only seen by the Empire. Clearly, you can understand our skepticism."_

In response, the Galactic Empress, Talia Vasch offered little reassurance. _"In the past century, and beyond, our galaxy has been severely ravaged by the affects of war. I feel now that, _if_ the Imperial army were to find itself faced with yet another conflict, we would be gravely underprepared. For once, as it never has before, when the next great conflict occurs, I want the Empire to be ready."_

Following the Summit, though the Borderland Regions upheld their obligations, they relinquished all support of the Galactic Empire, siding with the Alliance instead. Since then, the Imperial army remained stationed within the Borderlands, though they burdened the natives no more. Quietly, they oversaw training of their armed forces, Trans-Hydian trade, and development of weaponry and defense.

Something big was happening now though. Something big was _developing_ in the Abregado system, something potentially harmful to the GA, and in more immediate effect, the Borderland natives. In response, civilians were breaking out into unbridled rebellion, and the Jedi knew it was time to intercede.

Looking across the desk at her mother, so gracefully aged in her fifty three years, Jessa frowned. "This is becoming full-fledged insurrection." Jaina nodded towards her daughter, clearly unsettled by the news. "The beginnings of civil war, perhaps?"

Jaina shook her head, turning towards the window. Outside, younglings were scattered across the tall grass, guided happily by their instructors. They ran, jumped, climbed, and through the force, the Jedi Master could feel their unwavering sense of calm penetrate her unease. "I don't think so, but I couldn't answer you for sure. The Empire has been remarkably skilled in concealing their Abregado operations from the Alliance. Up until this point, Daala has refused our involvement in the situation, but I think she's finally resigned herself to the fact that, without our investigative skills, the Alliance might not understand the full capabilities of the Empire until it is too late."

"I suspect that Dad's absence in the past week has been due to the Trans-Hydian turmoil," Jessa implied.

"Of course. He was under strict orders not to divulge any information to me, or rather, the Jedi Order," she said with an air of acceptance. Jagged was not a man who kept secrets from his wife; however, both he and Jaina agreed that confidentiality was, at times, necessary when conjoined with duty. "This morning though, he arranged an urgent holo-conference with Uncle Luke. Shortly after, the council was called in for a meeting, and we were told that our assistance has been personally requested by Natasi Daala." Jaina seemed to grin smugly for a moment. Daala's involvement in the Order had been a great bone of contention for all Jedi.

"I see. Which brings us to my mission."

"We're sending out what you might consider a squadron of Jedi, but in small, individual groups. Each group will be inspecting a different aspect or location in the matter."

"So it's just Kyp and I then, in our group?"

"Yes. There will be a few other groups heading out to Abregado-rae. You two will be stationed in the Capital City. Your investigation should last at least a few weeks, I'm guessing." Jessa nodded, thinking deeply. Since her promotion to knighthood, she had gone on only a few missions by herself. Most were accompanied by Kyp who, as her former master and an old friend of her parents', was a welcome companion.

"Will you be stationed in the Abregado system, as well?" Jaina seemed to scowl for a brief moment. She was frustrated, and Jessa didn't need the force to sense it. She could tell from the rigid set of her jaw, the fervor in her brown eyes.

"Uncle Luke has requested I remain with him at the academy. He and your father will be cooperating with Daala in an attempt to plan another Summit. They hope to have the meeting no later than a week from now, and the Grandmaster would like me to sit in as a representative of the Jedi Order."

"Huh…"

"What is it?"

"They honestly think you'd be better suited to play the role of ambassador as opposed to… fulfilling more pressing business?"

"This _is_ pressing, Jessa. As of now, the Alliance still wants to keep us relatively uninvolved in the Borderland uprising. Just because they've employed our investigative services doesn't mean they have any intention of involving us further. However, if we represent ourselves properly at the Summit, and tell them what they want to hear, we can ensure our participation in further business." Jessa considered what her mother had unknowingly implied in that statement.

"This is far bigger than we understand, isn't it?"

"Possibly." Jaina's unease finally seemed to seep into her daughter.

"Still though, you're not exactly known for your diplomacy, Mom. Is Grandma going to be sitting in as a representative, as well?"

"Yes, actually." At eighty one years of age, Leia Organa Solo had withdrawn from many of the Jedi and political affairs she had assumed in younger years. Shortly before Jessa had reached adolescence, Leia decided to settle down into what _she_ considered retirement. Still, when urgent matters arose, Leia would take leave from her withdrawal. And by all means, it seemed as though Leia sought the reasons that would make matters "urgent". However, in the past few years, as her husband's health began to diminish, Leia finally resolved to maintain a true retirement, so that she could take care of Han. Obviously, if she were to make an appearance at the forthcoming Summit, she too sensed a true emergency approaching.

Jessa leaned back in her chair, deeply contemplating the circumstances of the current situation. An insurgency would be extreme, of course, and dangerous. But at the rate that the Alliance were addressing the matter, it could be prevented altogether. Clearly, rebellion was not the real issue.

The true sense of emergency must lay in the Empire's connection to the turmoil, specifically, the young Jedi knight assumed, in whatever weaponry and defense they were developing.

But why? True, the Empire and the Alliance had not been on even footing in the past fifteen years, but they had been in peaceable concurrence with each other. Why did the Empire finally find secrecy necessary? A strange chill ran down Jessa's spine, for reasons she couldn't identify.

"You're thinking. A lot." Jessa suddenly snapped out of her meditations to find her mother staring at her speculatively. "What about?"

Not wishing to address her worry, Jessa opted for humor instead. "I must admit, Mom, I'm a bit disappointed."

"Why?"

"You're sending me to Abregado-rae, yet you couldn't assign me to Le Yer? Such a shame. I would've rather enjoyed a bit of reconnaissance in the casinos." Jaina smiled lightly.

"Sorry, I forgot this was a vacation and _not_ something more vital."

"Well," Jessa said with a sigh, "I suppose there's always next time, right?" Jaina smiled and turned towards the window once more. Jessa stood and walked towards where her mother sat, placing a hand on her shoulder, and gazing upon the younglings, as well. "I feel your distress, too."

"I have an unusually alarming feeling about this mission." Jessa was reminded of the unfamiliar chill she'd felt only moments before.

"You sense danger," Jessa supposed.

"I sense _something_, though I can't pinpoint what it is. There's fear, obviously, for reasons I can't clearly identify – danger, trepidation, a great deal of confusion… Yet something clouds my mind." Her mother's weakened composure unsettled her. It was understandable that Jessa might feel some unease, but she had not expected it from mother. Jaina Solo-Fel was the sword of the Jedi. Seemingly tedious recon missions were not supposed to rattle her.

"I know you like to think you know everything that's going on at all times. Dad says it's part of your 'arrogant charm'." Her mother let escape a dry, half-hearted laugh. "So I understand your unease, but calm yourself. Kyp and I will figure this out."

"And you want to talk about _my_ arrogance…" Jaina muttered, finally provoking a genuine grin in her daughter.

"Thank you for passing that on to me, by the way." The Jedi master sighed, once again, and placed a hand over the one still holding tightly to her shoulder.

"I need you to be careful out there, Jess."

As the smile disintegrated from her face, Jessa looked down upon her mother. "I wish I could simply tell you not to worry; however, I know that is inevitable. But I do promise I will be careful. Or… well, as careful as one of _your_ children could possibly be." Finally, Jessa sensed a smile creep into her mother's features.

Looking up, Jaina said, "I know how difficult that can be for you. But, as incentive, if I hear of any reckless behavior, your next long-term assignment will be to a desk."

"Ouch."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"I suppose you'll be flying this thing, huh," Kyp asked as he and Jessa made their way towards the cockpit of the YT-1210 they'd borrowed for their flight to Abregado-rae. It was an old model, a bit harder to come by these days, but in pristine condition. Due to its similarity in size, shape, and appearance to her grandfather's YT-1300, the renowned _Millennium Falcon,_ Jessa looked forward to piloting it. She could at least trick herself into complacency during the flight over, and she hoped the comforting reminiscence might help.

The unease she had felt the previous day when speaking with her mother still lingered. And still, she could not identify its cause.

"I was hoping to," she said, plopping down in the pilot's seat before Kyp could object (which he wouldn't).

"Be my guest. I was actually hoping to take a nap myself." Kyp collapsed into the seat beside her, a careless smile spread across his face. He hadn't had any intention of flying, and that was apparent now. Jessa snorted.

"Go ahead. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to live vicariously through you," she mumbled while booting up the main computer.

"Don't even act like you haven't been looking forward to this flight all day." Despite her own exhaustion, Jessa grinned.

After the meeting with her mother the previous afternoon, she had sought various methods of calming to pacify the furor of thoughts raging through her mind. For most Jedi, these methods would've majorly been comprised of deep meditative exercises and hot tea. However, at seventeen years of age, such activities could be rather boring, and in fact, only tolerable to Jessa in small increments. So, to allay her unease and heavy contemplation, she spent a few hours sparring with Brant sans lightsabers (and consequently, being pummeled), played several games of Dejarik with Marek while simultaneously debating some foolish political affair, then shared a meal with her father.

Though these activities occupied her mind rather well for many hours, Jessa could not escape her thoughts as she lay down for a completely hopeless sleep. At the time, her mother and father were with the Grandmaster, making preparations for the upcoming Summit, and she could only wonder what they were planning.

After an hour of fruitless attempts at slumber, Jessa threw on a tunic and cloak, and decided her time would be better spent in the Jedi Archives. Over the duration of her time spent as a Padawan, the Archives had become a place of solace for Jessa. When she wasn't training or on a mission, she took comfort in the fact that she could immerse herself in the history of the Jedi, contained within the vast array of stacks.

That night, to Jessa's relief, very few people occupied the Archives. Immediately, she made her way towards the first hall, and aimlessly delved into the Republic records. With no intention or preference, she settled on a record dating back to the Clone Wars. This particular record contained information from up to an entire year post the Battle of Genosis. Within her reading, she was particularly fascinated by an account of the Battle of Drongar, in which one of the focal points was a native plant called "Bota". Bota, a plant found only on Drongar, was said to somehow manipulate the midi-chlorians in a being, and strengthen their connection to the force. Unfortunately, it seemed Bota was mainly used for dark side purposes.

Somewhere around the Battle of Christophsis, Jessa began to doze, and absentmindedly passed out at the desk where she sat. Hours later, she supposed, she was awakened by her mother, who either sensed her presence or intuitively guessed she'd be in the Archives. After that, Jaina, Jag, and Jessa returned to their quarters, though Jessa found she could no longer sleep. Instead, she made herself some caf and turned on, but paid no attention to, the HoloNet News.

When her mother arose hours later and emerged from her bedroom into the main quarters, she took one look at Jessa and sighed. _"Have you slept since we returned?"_

"_Nope."_ Jessa stared straight ahead, the cup of caf still in her hand, half empty and completely cold. Perhaps she _had_ fallen asleep, but if so, only briefly. In the past two hours, she had finally taken to the meditation that, by all means, she should've utilized to start with.

Jaina shook her head as she prepared her own cup of caf, then took a seat opposite her daughter. _"Why not?"_

"_Sleep? It's a boring waste of time and I'm awful at it."_ Her mother grinned, momentarily focusing on the news.

"_I can't say I'm much better. Your father and brothers, on the other hand, are sleeping soundly."_ Jaina suddenly turned off the HoloNet (not that Jessa had been paying any real attention to it for the past few hours). _"Don't watch that. Not now, at least."_

"_Yeah, I guess that wasn't the best choice." _Finally standing, Jessa stretched.

"_You should be centering yourself for-"_

"My impending mission._ Yeah, I know. Jeez, Mom… you're starting to sound about as predictable as all the other Masters." _Jaina looked up to her daughter in mock offense, quickly gulping down the remains of her caf.

"_Is that so?"_

"_Yeah. You probably would've advised me to go sit in my bedroom and meditate for the next five hours, had I not stopped you." _Jaina's face became quizzical for a moment, until suddenly, she grinned.

"_Then go get your lightsaber. We're going to spar."_

"_Really?" _Jessa smiled, feeling like an excited child. A few years earlier she had never been able to engage her mother in lightsaber combat, though she truly longed to. At the time, she wasn't skilled enough, and by her mother's standards _"Too young"._ However, in the past year, her lightsaber skills had matured greatly – not as much as her force skills, but the growth was still exponential. Unfortunately, with her mother's duties as a Jedi Master, and Jessa's blooming duties as a Knight, they couldn't often find the time to train together as she would've liked.

"_Bet you couldn't predict that."_

"_No, but I was hoping."_

Jessa rubbed at one of the bruises her mother had caused earlier that day. Jaina had certainly not gone easy on her and she knew it. She felt completely satisfied with this thought and smiled fondly as she and Kyp ascended towards orbit.

* * *

It was an odd thing – to not be cast into the fray after so many years of being the person to debunk it. Yet Jaina was, in a very important sense, doing her part to help resolve the tensions in the Borderland regions. It just wasn't the sense that she preferred to view herself in. For while she remained on Coruscant, sitting safely in a durasteel chair at a table of fine Jedi and Diplomats, her children were priming for turmoil.

Jessa, her eldest child and only daughter, was more than likely preparing to descend towards the surface of Abregado-rae within the hour. Brant, though still only a Padawan, was on call for duty, in the event that the Borderland turmoil escalated before the Jedi could discern and halt its cause. They were both able and talented Jedi in their own right, but that didn't make their role in the effort any less unnerving.

"Jaina." She looked up, finally returning her focus to the business at hand. "Are we boring you," Luke asked, clearly teasing his niece. Still, she did feel a twinge of guilt for her lack of attention, especially as her Uncle's tired blue eyes dwelled on her just a moment too long.

"I'm sorry. My thoughts were… elsewhere for a moment."

"I take it you haven't heard anything I just said then." Jaina looked over to Jag, who by all means, knew far more of the situation than she did. And by all means, had probably excluded many details when informing her of his mission to the Trans-Hydian system.

"Is it bad if I say 'No'?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Then yes, you've had my undivided attention this entire time." Jag rolled his eyes and grinned. It wasn't hard for her to make light of an exceptionally serious situation when with her husband. After all, they'd been through some of the most trying affairs two people could endure, and had only survived them by maintaining a sense of humor (though dry on Jag's part).

"Then perhaps you could grace us with your thoughts on what we were discussing."

"Right. Funny." Jaina smirked for only a second. This was not the time to joke, and she knew it. Not even her mother, though so accustomed to her good humor, seemed to be enjoying it. "A recap would probably do me some good."

"Thank you for rejoining us then. Now, what I was saying is that, first and foremost, Daala has reluctantly agreed to the follow-up Summit. She didn't seem particularly thrilled about the idea, as she's trying to… downplay the revolt at this time. However, I assured her how necessary it would be for the Jedi to present their findings under a controlled environment. As you can imagine, she was rather convinced by that prospect."

"Of course."

"She would like to wait two weeks before we meet. She feels that will give the Jedi ample time to collect and document their findings." _I would certainly hope so,_ Jaina thought. "Until then," Jag opened himself up to the rest of the table, which consisted of her mother, Cousin Ben, and of course, Uncle Luke. This was a private meeting, only for the Jedi representatives. "The Alliance will be preparing their army for deployment in Trans-Hydian space." The table fell silent for a moment.

"Is that so," Luke asked, phrasing the question as more of a statement.

"How soon," Jaina asked.

"She wouldn't say," Jag replied, "and I didn't want to ask. Daala implied many things during our meeting. Some quite bold. Perhaps I inferred more than I should have, but it became stringently clear to me that Daala knows far more about this situation than she'd like to share with myself or the Jedi."

"So I'm guessing the deployment isn't nearly as premature as it would seem to us," Leia said.

"No."

"It seems odd," Ben pondered aloud, "that the Alliance would find the need to deploy their army into a system already inhabited by thousands of Imperial troopers. The Imperials, especially with the aid of their newly developed weaponry, would have no need for further assistance in overcoming the Borderland natives. Which leads me to believe that, perhaps, the Alliance army is not preparing for battle with civilians, but rather, battle with storm troopers."

"That's… an _extreme_ assumption," Jag said, readjusting himself uncomfortably in his seat. "Though I must admit, the same thought occurred to me."

"I agree: that is extreme. Yet hardly farfetched," Luke stated. "The Empire has not necessarily had a positive relationship with the Alliance in the past ten years."

"As true as that is," Leia interjected, "we can't say that it has been negative either."

"I agree with you. The Empire has been seemingly ambivalent, though ambivalent to a point of secrecy and detachment."

"Still, I hardly think that such 'secrecy and detachment' is enough proof for us to assume that the Imperial Army is preparing to declare war on the Alliance."

"It wouldn't be," Jag uttered apprehensively, "if Daala hadn't also claimed that the Empire has felt 'Threatened' and 'Intolerably restricted' in the past decade."

"She told _you_ that," Jaina asked, rather surprised.

"Well, I think she let that one slip out of frustration. However, when she said it, there was a hint of… fear to her voice. Not to mention that when she spoke of the insurrection – and yes, she referred to it as an insurrection – she spoke of it as something she'd been anticipating for a long time."

Jaina's head pulsed with a surge of thoughts. Of course, politicians and Jedi alike had all considered the same speculations from time to time: _perhaps the Empire's secrecy is meant to harm us, not help us. Perhaps the Empire _are_ preparing for a war. Perhaps…_ But no logical person could allow themselves to believe that such thoughts were even partially true. Again, they were based purely on speculation. The Alliance's insecurities painted these speculations in a newer more genuine light though.

If the Empire were truly seeking to declare war on the Alliance, what did they hope to gain from it? Of course, they would earn a great deal of power if they could seize control over Alliance affairs. However, they'd also lose an even greater deal of respect, support, and balance in the galaxy. By all means, their impending losses seemed to negate their benefits.

But the Empire knew what they'd lose and what they'd gain. After the fall of Lord Vader's Empire so many years ago, they had learned a valuable lesson. A corrupt imbalance of power in the galaxy would ultimately lead to radical downfall. For the Empire to lose respect and support now, they'd begin to collapse before they could even rise to power.

Unless, of course, all along they'd been developing some sort of solution to this problem.

Unless… of course. The Trans-Hydian insurrection would be, in some way, a preemptive remedy to their unavoidable demise.

Jaina caught a sudden chill, one which the rest of the table seemed to share with her.

* * *

The flight to Abregado-rae had been a flawless and relaxing one for Kyp and Jessa. As well, it had cleansed her mind of many of the negative thoughts plaguing her before.

"Finally in orbit. We can begin our descent in minutes," Jessa said, kicking the side of Kyp's seat. He awoke with a start.

"Awake. I'm awake," he mumbled groggily. In fact, he had been out cold for the past four hours.

"Did you hear me?"

"Uhm, no."

"We're about to begin our descent in-" Jessa stopped abruptly, mid-sentence, as a feeling of intense anger and fear penetrated her through the force. It was all coming from Abregado-rae, or otherwise somewhere close within the system. She assumed that this is what her mother had felt back on Coruscant, only amplified tenfold in close proximity. The mayhem rolling through the force ricocheted into her mind so quickly, it seemed to pound. She felt she might develop a sudden headache if she weren't able to center herself.

"You feel that, right," Kyp asked, sounding removed.

"There's no way I could miss it." Jessa winced, kneading her fingers into her temple. She reached out in the force, attempting to discern the source of the emotional disquiet she felt. On her first attempt, it would seem almost fruitless, as the fervor of negative energy swirling about the force was so vast and thickly layered; it was extremely difficult to weave through. Her hands tightened over the arm rests of her seat, and she closed her eyes. Inhaling deeply, she began to pick apart and distinguish the different emotions penetrating her mind, until…

She sensed a highly ominous influence pervading each and every layer of the force.

"Kriff, the natives down there are in a state of utter chaos."

"It's not just the natives, Kyp." Jessa found herself unable to open her eyes yet. "Something isn't right with those Imperials."

* * *

"Jaina," Luke called to her as she began to exit with the other representatives. The Grandmaster remained standing at the head of the table. He had clearly been disconcerted over the course of the meeting. Jaina had initially assumed the cause had been the business at hand, but perhaps not. "May I speak with you?"

"Of course." She gave a quick nod to Jag, urging him not to wait for her, and walked over to her Uncle. "What is it?" Immediately she knew she would not be in for an even remotely pleasant conversation – the look in her Uncle's eyes had told her that. He pulled out a chair for her.

"How about we take a seat." She complied, and sat with her hands folded in her lap. For a few moments, they sat in silence as, she assumed, Luke collected his thoughts. She waited for him to speak first.

After a minute, he put on an exhausted smile and asked, "How are you?"

"…Fine," she answered tentatively, a little confused by her Uncle's opening question.

"I know that, if you had your choice, you'd be in the Borderland Regions."

"Well, I've never really been known for my diplomacy. You know that better than most." Luke smirked for a second, then glanced down at his hands, sighing. "What do you want to speak to me about?" He paused for a moment, clearly choosing his words carefully. Whatever the subject was, it must be delicate. She could sense his apprehension.

"A vision." She waited for some sort of elaboration, though he didn't grant it immediately.

"A vision of what?"

"In the past few weeks I've envisioned several fragments of the Trans-Hydian conflict. Some were occurring in the present time, while others were foreshadowing. It was hard to tell what they were though, because of their shortness and inconsistency. It wasn't until last night that I had an entire vision, in which each and every other piece seemed to make sense."

"Who was this pertaining to, Uncle Luke?"

"In previous fragments I saw Imperial troopers in great pain. Civilians, not in death, but in captivity… Last night, I saw Jessa." Jaina's body went involuntarily rigid at the mention of Jessa's name. "She was surrounded by at least a dozen troopers, lightsaber at the ready, as though she might try and take them on-"

"Of course, _she_ would," Jaina mumbled.

"She was stunned, and then… time seemed to have skipped again. The images became more like fragments, but they seemed to happen in sequence. She was taken to some sort of facility, prodded with needles. The vision went dark, and suddenly came back into focus with a burst of light, and she was surrounded by flame, injured." Jaina let out a heavy breath, maintaining composure.

"If you had to guess, would you say this vision occurred within weeks, or-"

"I can't say, Jaina. It could be the result of her current mission, of a war yet to happen… or something else." There was an insinuative tone to that 'something else' she was sure her Uncle had not meant to implicate.

"Not just 'something else,' Uncle Luke. I can sense that." Suddenly, he stood to place a hand on Jaina's shoulder.

"I don't mean to imply anything," Luke said softly, "though you do know we've always kept a close eye on Jessa, for many reasons."

"There weren't 'many'." Jaina couldn't help to keep the defensive snap out of her voice.

"Let's just say recklessness."

"I was the same way."

"You fell to the brink of the dark side more than once. When you were her age-"

"I always came back."

"You had Jacen. The bond you two shared always kept you grounded, always helped to pull you back."

"What about when I lost Jacen?"

"You had Jag. Besides, Jaina. You never truly lost your twin." She sat silent for another moment, feeling anxious.

Jessa had always been an extremely sensitive and emotional person. As a child, she was prone to tantrums that usually resulted in objects being force hurled across the room. Yet she would always see the error of her ways, the fault in her anger, and come back to apologize to her parents. Even then, it was sometimes hard to keep her from allowing the guilt to overtake her. She was so unlike her younger brothers in that respect, who were stoic and serious, if not sometimes frustrated a bit too easily.

Since before her time at the academy, Jedi masters had feared for the tenuous balance Jessa seemed to tread between light and dark. Morally, she understood right and wrong, though emotionally, she couldn't always control herself.

In the past two years, Jaina noticed that her daughter had fully dedicated herself to the Potentium view of the force. She was irrationally concerned by this, due to the fact that Jacen had believed in the Potentium view, especially prior to his fall to the dark side. Luke had also picked up on Jessa's change in beliefs, and did not think lightly of them.

"Your vision doesn't indicate any dark involvement."

"It would not seem so. However, it was… curious."

"What do you mean?"

"Why weren't we there, Jaina? In the visions, I mean. Not you, or Kyp, or I. Jessa was all alone. There is something wrong about that." It was true: there was something _very_ wrong about that. Jaina could not deny it.


End file.
